Asparagus Season is Here!

Asparagus is now in season. We love the long green vegetable! We served it twice last week. We served it once with a recipe provided by us with Jason from Palate. It is for Asparagus Topped with a Fried Egg and Green Garlic. It is delicious. You can get the recipe in our blog of: March 21, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe. We also made Asparagus with Parmesan Cheese. We steamed the asparagus and the topped with brown butter and grated Parmesan Cheese. We then broiled till the cheese was brown and bubbly. Yum.

We had an absolutely large bone-in Rib-Eye Steak. We purchased it at McCall’s Meat and Fish. We love the way that Osteria Mozza prepares steak. Cathy found the recipe in the Babbo Cookbook by Mario Batali. This is a delicious recipe for Dry-Rubbed Rib Eye. We cooked one big one and sliced it down for the two of us. It was fabulous!

Dry Rubbed Rib-Eye Steak
Babbo Cookbook – Mario Batali

2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon hot red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup dry porcini mushrooms, ground to a fine powder in a spice grinder
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 28-ounce rib-eye steak, cut 2 inches thick
Best-quality extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Best-quality balsamic Vinegar for drizzling

We dry-rub a thick-cut, well-marbled steak to help it form a nice crust while cooking. The effect of the sugar and salt on the meat is similar to dry aging, as it causes some of the steak's water weight to dissi¬pate overnight and intensifies the beefy flavor. Serve with roasted potatoes.

1. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt, garlic, red pepper flakes, pepper, mushroom powder, and olive oil and stir well to form a thick, fairly dry paste. Rub the paste all over the steak, coat¬ing it evenly, and refrigerate, wrapped in plastic, for 12 hours or overnight.

2. Preheat the grill or broiler.

3. Remove the steak from the refrigerator and brush off the excess marinade with a paper towel. Cook on the hottest part of the grill for 25 minutes, turning every 6 minutes, or to an internal tem¬perature of 120°F. for medium rare.

4. Allow the steak to rest for 10 minutes, then slice against the grain. Drizzle with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar and serve immediately.

Serves 2

Mary Beth Dinner

Mary Beth, a friend of Cathy from college, came and spent a week with us, while she was attending a conference in Los Angeles. We made one of our favorite dinners: Roast Chicken with Preserved Lemons Adapted from Laurent Tourondel. It is a wonderful one-dish recipe. You can get the recipe from our blog of: Jan. 23, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe. We also served asparagus. Mary Beth brought a friend from the conference who joined us for the dinner. There was lots of talk about cinema. It was a fun night.

Pork Belly and Shrimp!

We went to McCall’s meat and fish and purchased Fennel Sausage. They make it themselves. It is delicious. We added it to the leftover Lentils made with Confit Pork. It made a great winter dish.

McCall’s Meat and Fish also had Live Santa Barbara Spotted Shrimp. They are huge and delicious. It is one of my favorite shrimps, filled with lots of roe. Cathy told me if I brought home live shrimp, I would have to take them to the ocean and dump them back in. We don’t like to eat food that we have to kill. I know it is hypocritical, but that is the way it is. Let’s just say that the shrimp we were dead when they left the store.

We prepared a mixture of salt, pepper, garlic, butter and olive oil and cooked it over a low heat. When the garlic was softened we removed it from the mixture and covered the shrimp with the mixture. We then broiled the shrimp till browned. We served them over Noodles. Great, simple recipe.

Orecchiette Pasta

We went to the Hollywood Farmer’s Market at picked up lots of fresh snap peas. They were very sweet. We decided to make Orecchiette Carbonara with English Peas and Pea Shoots from a recipe by Suzanne Goin in the fabulous cookbook: Sunday Suppers at Lucques. You can get the recipe from our blog of: April 29, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe. We didn’t even have to shell the peas. We simply washed them and cut them up, shell and all. Of course we used Nueske’s Bacon, our favorite!

Billy and Kevin had dropped off some Pixie Tangerines. Cathy made a great salad with pixies using the orange juice as part of the dressing. I really like fresh fruit in salads.

Pork Belly!

The LA Times had a recipe for Pork Belly Confited in Olive Oil. Talk about a Lipitor experience! We purchased a large piece of pork belly from McCall’s Meat and Fish. We decided to confit the pork belly and then used the preserved pork in several different dinners. Confit means basically slow poaching (we used olive oil). The meat can then be preserved for an extended time covered with the congealed fat. We had no intention of preserving longer than the one week that it would take to prepare the various dinners.

For the first dinner we decided to make a recipe that we saw in the New York Times for Yakisoba With Pork and Cabbage. Instead of using the recommended pork chop we substituted our Pork Confit.

We started with The Hungry Cat Salad that we like so much. You can get the recipe from our blog of: November 21, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

For the second meal we decided to make Slow Cooked Salmon on a bed of lentils. Cathy used the recipe for Lentils Braised in Red Wine from The Zuni Café Cookbook by Judy Rodgers. She used the oil from the pork confit and some small pieces of the meat. It was incredibility rich. Just delicious.

When I went to McCall’s to pick up the salmon I saw some fresh Santa Barbara Spotted Prawns. They were huge and beautiful, filled with roe. I couldn’t resist getting 4 of them for a starter. We sauted them in olive oil and garlic. They were absolutely wonderful.
The Pork Confit is serving us well!

Recipe: Pork belly confited in olive oil
LA Times
March 4, 2010
Pork belly confited in olive oil


Total time: About 3 hours


Servings: Makes about 1 quart, enough for 18 to 20 servings


Note: Adapted from a recipe by Jim Drohman in "Charcuterie" by Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn
3 to 4 pounds pork belly


10 grams black peppercorns (about 3 1/4 teaspoons)


3 grams ground cinnamon (about 1 teaspoon)


1 gram whole cloves (about 10)


1/2 gram whole allspice (about 6)


2 bay leaves


1 ounce salt (about 4 teaspoons)


5 sprigs thyme


3 cups dry white wine


3 to 4 cups olive oil


1. Use a sharp knife to peel the skin from the pork belly: Cut a corner free, then grab it firmly and pull away, cutting with the knife while keeping the sharp edge of the blade against the tough skin. When the skin has been removed, cut the pork belly into roughly 3-by-1-inch pieces.
2. In a spice grinder or coffee mill, grind the peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, bay leaves and salt to a powder. Sprinkle the mixture over the meat, add the thyme and mix well. Add the wine and mix again. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.


3. The next day, heat the oven to 250 degrees. Remove the pork pieces from the marinade and pat them dry with a paper towel. Place them in a Dutch oven in as close to an even level as possible. Cover completely with olive oil. Bring to a slow bubble on top of the stove over medium heat, then transfer to the oven and let it cook, uncovered, until the meat is quite tender, about 2 1/2 hours.


4. Remove from the oven and let the meat cool in the fat. When the meat is cool, transfer it to storage containers and pour the fat over top, seal tightly and refrigerate. The meat should be completely submerged. (The confit can be used immediately, but it's better if it's refrigerated for 24 hours.)


5. To cook, remove the meat from the container along with a little of the fat. Fry over medium-high heat, turning to brown all sides. When the meat is well browned and heated through, serve immediately.


Each of 20 servings: 605 calories; 7 grams protein; 0 carbohydrates; 0 fiber; 64 grams fat; 18 grams saturated fat; 57 mg. cholesterol; 0 sugar; 81 mg. sodium.

Yakisoba With Pork and Cabbage
New York Times
March 3, 2010
Salt
6 ounces dried Chinese egg noodles, or 10 to 12 ounces fresh
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 pork chops, thinly sliced
1 small head Napa or savoy cabbage, shredded (about 4 cups)
2 carrots, shredded
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons mirin, or a bit of sugar
Few drops Tabasco sauce, or to taste
1 bunch scallions, chopped, white parts only.
1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, salt it and add noodles. Cook until just done, about 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and run under cold water. Toss noodles with sesame oil to keep them from sticking together, and set aside.
2. Put peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, add ginger and cook, stirring, until just fragrant, about 1 minute. Add pork and cook for about 5 minutes or until the pork is no longer pink and is starting to brown around the edges.
3. Add cabbage and carrots to skillet and stir; sprinkle with salt. Continue to cook until vegetables soften, adding a bit of water as needed to keep them from sticking.
4. Meanwhile, stir together in a small bowl ketchup, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mirin and Tabasco. When vegetables are soft and any liquid has evaporated, add noodles and sauce to skillet. Toss to coat everything well and cook until noodles are warmed through. Serve, topped with chopped scallions.
Yield: 4 servings.

Lentils Braised in Red Wine

Here is simple dish full of character. If it suits your taste, and the rest of the meal, you can elaborate on the basic recipe by adding bacon rind or prosciutto scraps, or a branch of thyme or a bay leaf, all at the beginning- The stingy-with- liquid method, which will remind you of risotto-making, keeps the flavors con¬centrated. We use tiny, plump black lentils or dark green French lentils, both of which are about the size of a peppercorn. If you use flat olive green lentils, they may cook more rapidly and require less liquid. In either case, using chicken stock will slow the cooking a little, but will give the dish a more complex flavor.

We serve red wine lentils with game birds, sausage, and red meat. They are also tasty with grilled salmon and meaty fish like monkfish and eel. And they are delicious with fried eggs and bacon, or spooned onto crostini and topped with a strip of anchovy and julienned roasted peppers.

If you prepare them in advance, cool, and then reheat them, they will have a mellower flavor and creamier texture than a freshly cooked batch.

FOR ABOUT 4 CUPS, OR 4 TO 6 SERVINGS:

1/4 cup mild-tasting olive oil
1/2 cup finely diced carrots (about 2 ounces)
1/2 cup finely diced celery [about 2 ounces)
3/4 cup finely diced yellow onions (about 3 ounces)
Salt
1 bay leaf 1-1/4 cups lentils (about 8 ounces), preferably tiny French lentils or the black lentils sometimes sold as "Beluga" lentils
1 or 2 sprigs fresh thyme (optional)
1 cup medium-bodied red wine, such as Sangiovese or Pinot Noir
2 to 2-1/2 cups water, Chicken Stock or a combination
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Warm the olive oil in a 3-quart saute pan or 4-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the carrots, celery, onions, and a few pinches of salt. Stir for about 5 minutes as the vegetables release their moisture and begin to hiss, then add the lentils, bay leaf, optional thyme, the wine, and about a cup of the water and/or stock. Raise the heat slightly to achieve a gentle simmer, then cook uncovered, stirring as needed, as you would risotto, and adding more water or stock as the last of each batch is just about absorbed, until the lentils are nutty-tender and just bathed in their cooking liquid. You may not use all of the liquid. Allow about 30 minutes. Taste. If using water or unsalted stock, the lentils will need salt; if using lightly salted chicken stock, they may need none.

Add the extra-virgin olive oil to taste and simmer for a minute longer to bind it with the cooking liquid.

Two Spring Dinners

Andrea went to New York City to assist Devin in moving, so we decided to take pity on Roger and invite him over for dinner so that he wouldn’t be alone.

We started with Zuni Cesar Salad. It is our favorite presentation of a Caesar because you don’t cut up the romaine lettuce, you get to eat it with your fingers. Yummy!
You can get the recipe from our blog of: July 25, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe. It is a great rendition of the famous salad.

We then had Risi-e-Bisi. This is a very thick rice dish made with fresh peas and prosciutto. It is a perfect spring dish when fresh peas are at their best. It is very satisfying on a cold rainy night. It was perfect for our Los Angeles weather.

If you have never made Risi E Bisi you should try it!

Later on in the week we made a Chanterelle Pasta with Wild Mushrooms. The recipe for the Chanterelle Pasta was from the Chez Panisse Vegetables – by Alice Waters
It was excellent. We then put the left over pasta in casserole and baked it. It was delicious that way also, as the noodles became firm and chewy.




RISI E BISI Rice
Makes 6 servings
Bugialli’s Italy by Giuliano Bugialli

For The Broth:
4 pounds snow peas or, if using fresh peas for the dish, 4 pound of the pods of the peas
16 cups cold water
1 medium-size carrot, scraped and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 medium-size stalk celery, cut into large piece
1 very small clove garlic, peeled
5 sprigs fresh Italian parsley, leaves only
Coarse-grained salt

For The Rice:
4 – 6 ounces pancetta or prosciutto, in one piece
1 medium-size cipollotto (Venetian white onion) or yellow onion, cleaned
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) sweet butter
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium-size clove garlic (optional), peeled
15 sprigs fresh Italian parsley, leaves only
1 pound very small, sweet fresh peas or frozen "tiny tender" peas, not defrosted
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cup raw short-grain rice, preferably Vialone or Italian Arborio

To Serve:
2 tablespoons (1 ounce) sweet butter
6 tablespoons freshly grated Grana Padano cheese
Sprigs fresh Italian parsley

Wash the snow peas or pea pods very well under cold running water. In a large pot bring the cold water to a boil with the snow peas or pods, carrot, celery, garlic, and parsley over medium heat. While boiling, add coarse salt to taste, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for SO min¬utes. Strain the broth and discard all the vegetables.

Finely grind the pancetta or prosciutto in a meat grinder and coarsely chop the onion on a cutting board. Place the butter and olive oil in a medium-size casserole set over low heat. When the butter is melted, add the pancetta or prosciutto, onion, and garlic clove, if used. Saute slowly for about IS minutes, then add the parsley and mix very well, then add the fresh or still frozen peas. Season with salt and pepper. Raise the heat to medium, add 1 cup of the vegetable broth, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the garlic and discard. Pour in 5 cups of the broth and when

it reaches a boil, add the rice. Mix very well, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 18 minutes. Be sure to have enough broth in the casserole for the rice to absorb to cook completely, with a tiny amount of liquid left; the final texture should be something between a real risotto and a thick bean soup. Remove the casserole from the heat, add the butter and cheese, and mix very well. (Mantecare—to churn—is the word used to describe the movement of absorbing the butter and the cheese into the rice.) Serve with the Italian parsley.

Chanterelle Pasta
Chez Panisse Vegetables – Alice Waters

1 ounce dried porcini
3/4 cup heavy cream 1 1/2 cups chicken stock or Mushroom and Herb Broth
1 pound chanterelles (or horn) of plenty, hedgehogs, etc.)
3 or 4 sprigs thyme
2 cloves garlic
1 leek
4 tablespoons unsalted-butter
Salt and pepper
1 pound fresh pasta
Reggiano Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Optional: Toasted Bread Crumbs



Put the dried porcini in a saucepan with the cream and chicken stock or the broth and heat gently for 30 minutes or so to infuse the mixture with mushroom flavor. Remove the porcini from the cream with a slotted spoon or strainer, and strain the cream through cheesecloth or a fine sieve to remove any sand.

Clean and slice the chanterelles. Chop the thyme leaves and peel and chop the garlic. Clean and chop the leek and sauté in 1 tablespoon of the butter until soft and translucent. Remove from the pan and reserve.

Put a pot of water on for the pasta.

Saute the mushrooms in the rest of the butter, seasoned with salt,

Pepper, and the chopped thyme. When nearly cooked through, add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.

Pour the strained cream and stock over the mushrooms, add the leeks, and simmer gently while the pasta is cooking. When the noodles are done, add them to the mushrooms. Taste and correct the seasoning. Serve garnished with grated Parmesan, the parsley, and, if you like, a scattering of Toasted Bread Crumbs.

Serves 4 to 6.

Sausage and Polenta

We continue to explore the meats at McCall’s our new neighborhood Meat and Fish Market. We decided to try their homemade sausage. The links were huge and when cooked delicious. We decided to make Sausages and Polenta. We used the recipe from The Fine Art of Italian Cooking by Giuliano Bugialli.

We made Rapini to go with it. We sauted the Rapini with garlic and olive oil, added salt and pepper then at the end added red wine vinegar. The acidity of the Rapini was perfect for cutting the richness of the porcini sauce.

We got lots of leftovers from this dish!
Polenta con Salsicce
(serves 6)
(Polenta with Sausages)
from The Fine Art of Italian Cooking by Giuliano Bugialli
Sausages cooked in a wonderful sauce made with wild mushrooms and all poured over slices of polenta. It makes one look forward to the cold weather.
4 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
6 large sweet sausages
1 red onion
5 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 cups meat or chicken broth
Polenta
Soak the dried mushrooms in a bowl of lukewarm water for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the sausages in half; chop the onion fine.


Heat the olive oil in a saucepan on a medium flame. When it is warm, add the chopped onion and saute until golden brown (about 12 minutes), stirring with a wooden spoon every so often. Add the sausage pieces and saute very lightly for 10 minutes, then add the tomato paste and simmer for 5 minutes more. Add the soaked mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.

In a second saucepan, heat the broth to boiling. When it is hot, pour it into the saucepan containing the sausages. Let simmer very slowly until a large quantity of broth has evaporated (about 25 minutes).

While the sauce is reducing, make the polenta, with quantities listed according to the directions on page 367. When the polenta is ready and on its round board (or pasta board), cut it into slices with a string.

Pour the sauce into a large sauceboat and serve hot, along with the polenta. Place several slices of polenta on each individual dish and cover it with the sausage sauce.

Kevin's Birthday Dinner

Wine:
LeClaire – Gaspard Champagne Grand Cru Brut
Coup De Foudre Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Silver Oak Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2003

We decided to invite Billy and Kevin over to celebrate Kevin’s Birthday. We started with Champagne and served Goat Meat that we brought home from Palate. The goat meat was served as Taco’s at Palate. We just served the goat on crackers. When asked, Billy and Kevin were not able to identify it as goat.

We have been trying a lot of recipes from The Bouchon Cookbook by Thomas Keller. We started with a great salad:
Smoked Salmon With a Frisee Salad With Oranges and Radishes. The salad was a hit. I have never had the combination of Salmon, Oranges and Radishes. We will serve it again!

For the main course we served Short Ribs. We are eating our way through all the meats at McCall’s. They had beautiful short ribs. This is a great winter recipe. The recipe we used was: Short Ribs Braised in Chimay Ale from Judy Rodgers Zuni Café Cookbook. You make it ahead of time and simply place under the broiler when ready to serve. We served the Short Ribs over Polenta. We use the recipe for Polenta that can be found in Judy Rodger's The Zuni Cafe Cookbook.

For dessert we had Chocolate Cake. Yum.




Smoked Salmon With a Frisee Salad With Oranges and Radishes
Saumon Fume Et Salade Frisee Aux Oranges Et Radish

From Thomas Keller Bouchon


CITRUS VINAIGRETTE
• ¾ cup fresh orange juice, simmered until reduced to 3 tablespoons
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 2 Cara Cara (red or pink navel) oranges or blood oranges
• 1 to 2 heads frisee lettuce
• 40 tarragon leaves
• 40 Italian parsley leaves 40 chervil
• 1 heaping tablespoon minced chives
• 12 slices (about 8 ounces) smoked salmon
• 2 large breakfast or Icicle radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced (to get 24 rounds)
• Extra virgin olive oil


Here smoked salmon is paired with bitter greens, citrus vinaigrette, and peppery radishes. Fresh herbs are meant to be one of the dominant flavors, and they go well with all the elements here, so don't be shy about using them. And notice how light the vinaigrette is—just three tablespoons of reduced orange juice, one tablespoon of vinegar, and one of olive oil.

For the vinaigrette: Whisk together the reduced orange juice, sherry vinegar, and olive oil in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cut off the top and bottom of 1 orange. Stand the orange up and use a serrated knife to cut away the peel and pith in wide strips, working from top to bottom of the orange. Cut between the membranes to release the segments, letting them fall into a bowl. Squeeze any juice from the membranes over the segments. Repeat with the second orange. Set aside.

Remove the dark green outer leaves from the frisee and reserve for another use. Cut off and discard the core from the inner yellow leaves. Separate the leaves, trimming the bottoms as necessary to separate them. Wash the leaves and spin-dry. Place 1 1h cups greens (reserve any extra for another use) in a medium bowl and add the herbs.

TO SERVE: Arrange 3 slices of salmon in the center of each of four serving plates, overlapping them, their edges following the perimeter of the plate, to make a large circle.

Toss the frisee salad with enough vinaigrette to lightly coat the leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss in the radish slices.

Drizzle the salmon with olive oil and some of the juice from the oranges. Mound the salad in the center of the salmon and distribute the orange segments among the salads.

Makes 4 servings


Short Ribs Braised in Chimay Ale
Judy Rodgers Zuni Café Cookbook

A simple braise inspired by the stalwart Belgian dish carbonnade
flamande. Chimay is the smooth Belgian ale we use for this dish at Zuni; it has a delicate sweetness, a touch of clove flavor, and only the faintest note of bitterness. Similar Belgian-type ales are made by Ommegang in New York and Unibroue in Canada. A mellow porter is another alternative, as is stout, as long as it is not too bitter.

Choose meaty slabs of short ribs, 3 or 4 ribs each, and have them sawn across the bones into floppy bands. Thickly slice the onions, so they don't dissolve into the sauce.
These are good with browned spatzle or mashed potatoes. Husband all leftover juice and bits of meat and onion to reheat with eggs. You can also make this recipe using large Muscovy duck legs or goose legs.

For 4 servings

About 2-1/2 pounds short ribs, cut across the bone into 2-inch-wide bands (have the butcher do this]
Salt
1 to 2 tablespoons mild-tasting olive oil
1-1/2 pounds yellow onions (about 3 medium], sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 bay leaves
A few whole white peppercorns
A few slices dried wild mushrooms, rinsed in warm water and coarsely chopped (optional)
Up to 1 cup Beef Stock or Chicken Stock
Up to 1 cup Chimay ale or similar Belgian-style ale or a mellow porter or stout About 1/4 cup Dijon mustard

Trimming and seasoning the short ribs (for the best flavor and succulence, do this step 1 to 2 days in advance, or at least a few hours ahead):

Trim most of the fat from the short ribs, but leave the silver skin and tough sheathing around the bones intact. This will help keep the meat succulent and will give body and character to the braise. Salt evenly all over (we use a scant 3/4 teaspoon sea salt per pound of meat}. Cover loosely and refrigerate.

Cooking the short ribs:
Warm the oil in a 3-quart saute pan over medium heat. Wipe the pieces of meat dry. Brown the short ribs evenly and gently on the three meaty sides, about 4 minutes per side. Pour off excess fat.

Rearrange the meat bone side down in the pan. Add the onions, bay, pepper¬corns, the optional mushrooms, and equal parts stock and ale, porter, or stout to come to a depth of about 3/4 inch. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook over low heat, until fork-tender, about 2 to 2-1/4 hours. (You can cook the braise in a preheated 300 oven if you prefer.) Check two or three times to make sure that that the liquid is barely simmering, and turn each piece of meat each time you check. When the meat is done, uncover, prop the pan at a slight angle, and leave to rest for about 5 minutes.

Turn on the broiler.

Skim the fat that has collected at the lower side of the pan. Taste the juice and simmer as needed to concentrate the flavor. Salt as needed. Make sure each piece of meat is bone side down, then brush or smear the tops with the mustard. Set the pan under the broiler, about 5 inches from the element, to browi the mustard and glaze the surface of the onion stew, about 5 minutes. Serve the short ribs very hot, mustard plaster up, with a spoonful of the syrupy sauce and onions.

Polenta
Zuni Café Cookbook

I credit our simple five-dollar bowl of warm polenta with keeping Zuni
alive through the first days after the 1989 earthquake - business was terrible all over town, but we stayed pretty busy, selling many more bowls than usual. Inexpensive, reliable, and comforting, a well-seasoned bowl of polenta is satisfy¬ing by itself, but, soft, grilled, roasted, or fried, it also finds its way into dozens of dishes at the restaurant, alongside, or under, beef, pork, or game birds. In any of its forms, it is great with sausage or bacon.

We use organic polenta ground from a variety of yellow corn called Pioneer. The grits are irregular and larger than American cornmeal, and coarser than most commercial polenta I have seen in Italy. It has lovely flavor, great body, and wonderful texture. (If you use a fine-textured polenta, it will need less water; consult the package for the water-to-meal ratio. It may cook somewhat more rapidly as well.)

There is a persistent superstition that polenta needs to be stirred constantly, but we stir it only often enough to be sure it's not sticking and scorching. Steady, gentle heat and a heavy-bottomed pot will also help prevent that. The light, ten¬der, creamy, slightly viscous texture I prize, and our clients love, is the result of a high ratio of water to meal and long, slow cooking, followed by a holding period where the polenta meal swells and softens even more. This technique means you can make the polenta up to a few hours in advance, which can be very convenient.

Serve soft polenta by the spoonful as a side dish, or by itself in warm bowls with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, mascarpone, or crumbled Gorgonzola and freshly cracked black pepper over the top! Alternatively, serve with a spoon¬ful of rich tomato or meat sauce. Cook at least 1 cup of polenta at a time ~ it is dif¬ficult to cook less without much of the water evaporating before it can be absorbed. Lots of suggestions for capitalizing on leftover polenta follow the recipe.

FOR ABOUT 4-1/2 CUPS, OR 4 TO 8 SERVINGS
5 cups water
1 cup coarsely ground polenta
About 2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
Unsalted butter, to taste (optional)

Bring the water to a simmer in a 2-quart sauce pan. Whisk or stir polenta, then stir until the water returns to a simmer. Reduce the heat until the polenta only bubbles and sputters occasionally-use a Flame Tamer if necessary-and cook uncovered for about 1 hour, stirring as needed, until thick but still fluid. If the polenta becomes stiff, add a trickle of water. Taste. Add salt and a generous lump of butter, if you like.

Transfer the polenta to a double boiler set over simmering water, to rest for at least 30 minutes (or up to a few hours, if it suits your schedule). Wrap the lid tightly in plastic wrap and cover the polenta. This will keep the polenta- from developing a skin. If you don't have a double boiler, you can make do by setting the polenta pan on a small, ovenproof ramekin (or any small piece of heat-resistant crockery) centered inside a wider, deeper pot, and surrounding it with just-simmering water. Cover the pan as above.

Mock Porchetta

We made a Mock Porchetta from the The Zuni Café Cookbook by Judy Rodgers. It is really an easy recipe to make and gives lots of great leftovers. We got the meat once again at McCall’s Meat and Fish on Hillhurst.

Mock Porchetta
The Zuni Café Cookbook by Judy Rodgers

A very modest, very manageable interpretation of the Tuscan "big pig" that few Americans, or Italians, could ever manage at home. (It is a formidable 
production even at the restaurant.) That gargantuan dish is a whole roast pig, typically stuffed with fistfuls of stemmy herbs, capers, casually chopped garlic, and 
sometimes fennel or pickled gherkins, all challenged by bold doses of salt and 
pepper. This diminutive porchetta is made with a small piece of pork shoulder, an inexpensive, underappreciated cut. Its mosaic of muscles provides plenty of places 
to stuff the seasonings, and it has enough internal fat and connective matter to 
self-baste and stay juicy as it slow-roasts. Buy, season, stuff, and tie-up your
 would-be porchetta 2 or 3 days before you plan to roast it, to give the flavors a
 chance to permeate the meat. Crowd this little roast with whatever root vegetables you like, choosing a larger or smaller roasting pan, depending on how many 
vegetables you want.

Make sure you have leftover porchetta so you can have a sandwich of the warm meat, spread with a spoonful of fresh ricotta cheese, on a crusty bun moistened with the pan juices. Leftover bits of porchetta are also good torn into bite-sized bits and shreds, moistened with olive oil and drippings, and roasted for a few minutes in a 4000 oven. Toss with frisee or bitter greens, add a few pecans, and serve with Balsamic Onion Marmalade on crostini.

If your pork shoulder is a little larger than the 3 pounds specified, you should increase the stuffing amounts accordingly. If it is close to 4 pounds, or larger, I recommend you turn it into two roasts; to maintain the cooking times, and so you get plenty of the caramelized, chewy outside with every slice.

Minus all the Tuscan herbs and seasonings, this is a good basic pork roast method. Try it seasoned with nothing more than salt kneaded with a few crushed juniper berries. That version is excellent with sauerkraut.

For 4 to 6 servings:

• One 2-1/2- to 3-pound boneless pork shoulder butt roast
• Salt
• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed, pressed dry between towels, and barely chopped
• 1 teaspoon chopped lemon zest

• 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• About 12 fresh sage leaves, crushed, then coarsely chopped (about 1-1/2 teaspoons, packed)
• A leafy sprig or two of fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and crushed (about 2 teaspoons, packed)
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, barely crushed
• 1-1/2 teaspoons freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 to 2 pounds prepared vegetables of your choice: chunks of peeled carrot; onions cut into wedges; quartered fennel bulbs; chunks of peeled celery root, turnips, rutabagas, or parsnips; unpeeled garlic cloves; and/or chunks of potato
• A little mild-tasting olive oil
• About 2/3 cup Rich Pork Stock, Chicken Stock, or water
• A few tablespoons of dry vermouth

Trimming, seasoning, and tying up the pork (1to 3 days in advance)

Trim any discoloration and all but a 1/4-inch thick layer of superficial) fat from the pork. Study the natural seams between the muscles on each side of the meat. Choose one that runs the length of and close to the center of any face. Use the tip of a knife to gingerly separate the muscles along that seam, gradually exposing more seams, which you should then separate as well. The goal is to create lots of internal surfaces to cake with seasonings. If your initial foray doesn't expose many internal seams, you can take a second stab at a different face, so long as you don't cut the pork in two. Salt the splayed piece of pork evenly all over (I use 1/2 teaspoon sea salt per pound of meat).

Combine the capers, lemon zest, garlic, sage, rosemary, with most of the fennel seeds and black pepper. (You should get about 1/2 cup, loosely packed.} Spread and pack this mixture all over the excavated insides of the pork butt, making sure the seasoning falls deep into the crannies where you've separated the muscles. Re-form the pork butt into its natural shape and tie tightly into a uniform shape, tying 4 or 5 strings around the circumference and another around the length of the roast. Rub the remaining fennel andpepper on the outside of the roast. Collect and refrigerate any loose herbs and seasonings. Cover the pork loosely and refrigerate.

Roasting the porchetta {2-1/4 to2-1/2 hours):

Preheat the oven to 350°
Toss the vegetables in a minimum of olive oil, barely coating the surfaces. Add a few pinches of salt and toss again.

Heat a 12- or 14-inch ovenproof skillet, depending on how many vegetables you are roasting, over medium heat. Surround with the vegetables. Place in the oven. The roast should begin to color at 45 minutes; if not, turn the heat up to 3750 until it does, then turn the heat back down. At 1 hour, turn the roast over and roll the vegetables in the rendered fat. Work quickly, so you don't lose too much oven heat and the roast doesn't cool off. Turn the roast again at 2 hours and add about 1/3 cup of the stock or water. Add any excess herbs and seasonings to the pan juices at this point and swirl the pan so they sink into the liquid. Roast for another 15 to 30 minutes, to about 185°. The pork should be fragrant and glistening golden caramel.

Transfer the meat to a platter, tent loosely with foil, and leave in a warm, protected spot while you make the pan sauce. Place the vegetables on a separate warm plate.

Preparing the pan sauce and serving the roast:

Tilt the skillet and spoon off the fat. Add the vermouth and the remaining 1/3 cup stock or water and set over low heat. Scrape and stir to dissolve the caramelized drippings at he bottom of the pan. Skim the fat as the liquid comes to a simmer. Add any juice that may have trickled from the resting roast.

Slice the pork, removing the strings as you go, and serve garnished with the vegetables and a spoonful of the rich pan sauce.

Tamara's Birthday

Wine:
Grand Vin de Bourgogne 2007 Camille Giroud
Charles B. Mitchell Grand Reserve Vintage Cuvee 2005
Turley 2000 Napa Valley Petite Syrah Hayne Vineyard
Champagne Michel Dervin Brut
Patrick Javillier Bourgogne Cuvee des Forgets 2007
Hans Wirsching Silvaner Dry 2007

Tamara’s was in town with Michael and it was her 70th birthday. She requested that we cook a dinner for her. We invited Billy and Kevin over who were leaving the next morning for a week in Hawaii. Tim also joined us.

We decided to frame a dinner around Moroccan food. We started with some great Cheeses from The Cheese Store of Silverlake. We also served Baba Ganoush from Marouch our favorite Lebanese restaurant. The Baba Ganoush has an extremely smoky flavor - I just love it! We also made a Carrot Puree with Caraway and Feta from the Casa Moro the Second Cookbook by Sam & Sam Clark. This is a FABULOUS appetizer and not hard to make. I really recommend it! It is a winner!

We then made a delicious Beet Soup from the first Moro Cookbook: Moro the Cookbook. It is a perfect soup for a cold winter day. It is topped with a dollop of yogurt / garlic spread.

We decided to make Lamb Steamed with Preserved Lemon and Cumin. It is from Casa Moro the Second Cookbook by Sam & Sam Clark. We bought the meat from our new local meat and fish store: McCall’s Meat and Fish. We served it with couscous. The lamb was perfect. This is one of those slow roasted dishes. We simply put the meat in a clay pot with the spices and put the dish in the oven for over 7 hours. The meat was succulent, falling off of the bone.

Tamara lucked out with two birthday cakes. I don’t think I have ever been to a birthday party where the guest of honor had two cakes, but why not? The Village Bakery and Café in Atwater Village baked a special cake they call the “Fight Cake” because people fight over the last piece. We served it with fresh strawberries marinated in Balsamic Vinegar. Tim also brought a Coconut Cake from Sweet Lady Jane. So of course we all had to have a piece of each. As you can tell from the wines listed above, we also had lots to drink in celebration of Tamara’s big day. It was a wonderful Winter Birthday dinner. Make the carrots!

CARROT PUREE WITH CARAWAY AND FETA
==========================
From Moro the Cookbook by Sam & Sam Clark

For this dish the flavor of the carrots is very important, so for that reason we would recommend you buy English organic carrots. At Moro we serve them with triangles of crisp pitta bread.

Serves 6-8 as a mezze, 4 for a starter or light meal
1 ½ - 2 lb organic carrots, scrubbed
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
sea salt and black pepper
1 level tablespoon caraway seeds, roughly ground in a mortar
2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh mint
¼ pound feta cheese

CRISPBREAD
1 oz. butter 2 pitta breads (or use good crackers)

Preheat the oven to 400.

For the crispbread triangles, melt the butter over a low heat. As it is melting, warm the pitta in the oven for a couple of minutes, then carefully split the pitta in half lengthways and brush the butter on both sides.

Now place on a board and slice each half in half again lengthways and then cut four or five triangles out of each one. Place the triangles on a cooling rack and transfer to the middle shelf of the oven. Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
Now turn up the heat to 400. Slice the carrots into rounds no more than 2cm thick. Toss with half the olive oil and some salt and pepper, and place in a roasting tin. Cover with foil and roast for about 45 minutes, or until completely tender. Remove and cool a little before putting through a mouli or mashing by hand or whizzing in a food processor. Transfer the pureed carrot to a bowl, stir in the caraway, half the mint and the remaining olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, spread the puree on a plate, crumble the feta on top, drizzle
a little more olive oil, and finally sprinkle on the remaining mint. Serve with crispbread triangles round the edge of the plate

Beetroot Soup with Black Cumin
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From Casa Moro the Second Cookbook by Sam & Sam Clark
This simple soup is similar to borscht but with a hint of spice. The black cumin gives it an ethereal quality, which takes it to a new height. This is a rare variety of cumin that has more of an aromatic nutty flavor than normal cumin; the seeds are finer and more curled in shape. It is usually found in Indian/Bengali shops under the name of 'kala jeerd'. This soup is also delicious made with sherry vinegar instead of red wine vinegar, but omit the cumin and yoghurt.
Serves 4
4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 large Spanish onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 rounded teaspoon black cumin or normal cumin seeds
1 ½ - 1 3/4 raw beetroot, peeled and finely diced
1 large potato, finely diced
5 1/4 cups cold water
3 tablespoons good-quality red wine vinegar
1 small bunch fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
3 ½ oz. home-made or Greek yoghurt, thinned with a little milk seasoned with 1 garlic clove crushed to a paste with salt
sea salt and black pepper
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and a pinch of salt. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to color. Now add the garlic and cumin and cook for 2 more minutes to release their flavor, followed by the beetroot and potato. Pour in the water, bring to a gentle simmer and cook until soft, about 15 minutes. Place the vegetables and the cooking liquid in a blender or food processor and blend until just smooth. You may need to do this in two stages. Return to the pan, add the vinegar, half the parsley, and salt and pepper to taste, bearing in mind you may need more salt than you think to balance out the acidity of the vinegar. Serve with a little yoghurt on top, the rest of the parsley and an extra drizzle of olive oil.

LAMB STEAMED WITH PRESERVED LEMON AND CUMIN
=================================
From Moro The Cookbook by Sam & Sam Clark
We had originally read about tangia in Paula Wolfert's book 'Moroccan Cuisine' (Grub Street), and were immediately captivated by the exotic idea of a stew being slow-cooked in the ashes of a hammam (steam bath). A few years later in Marrakech, we were led to the depths of a great furnace, to the side of which, neatly sitting in piles of hot grey ash, were two or three tangia pots. Tangia is a specialty of Marrakech and a favorite dish during Ramadan, when there can be more than a hundred of these pots steaming away silently in the dusty heat of the furnace.

6 whole lamb shanks, or 1 shoulder of lamb on the bone, about 4 pounds,trimmed and sawn into 6 pieces
1 large or 2 small Preserved Lemons, washed, flesh discarded, (und roughly chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
1 1/2 large onions, sliced
1 tablespoon cumin seeds, roughly ground
2 small heads garlic, cloves halved
3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh coriander
5 oz. water
3 oz. butter
sea salt and black pepper

Preheat the oven to 450.
Blitz the preserved lemon, onion, cumin, garlic and coriander in a food processor. Place all the ingredients in a heavy-bottomed medium-sized saucepan (or earthenware pot) and mix together thoroughly. Season. Cover the top of the meat with baking parchment, then cover the top of the saucepan or pot with foil and then put on a tight-fitting lid. Place in the hot oven and immediately turn the heat down to 275 degree. Cook for 5-6 hours. Remove and check for seasoning. The meat should be falling off the bone We like to serve this with a mixed herb salad and some flatbread, but couscous, although not traditional, would also be suitable.

Our 25th Wedding Anniversary

Last night was our 25th wedding anniversary. We went to Palate for dinner. We asked them to create a dinner for us based upon fresh lobster. They served us lobster 4 different ways. It was amazing. Among the best dinners we have ever had. They paired fabulous French Champagne and Burgundy wines with each course.

We started with a bacon, lobster and avocado sandwich on gougéres. It was so good we could have stopped there.

We then had a lobster sashimi with voluptuous ripe citrus and a vanilla bean vinaigrette.

They then presented us with goat tortellini with shaved lobster, preserved lemon, 1st of the season asparagus, green garlic and hazelnuts.

Next was a lobster curry over couscous with baby carrots, English peas and chicken hearts.

For dessert they served something that I am sure no one has ever had, persimmon enoki mushroom in a lobster custard.

We had felt like we had died and gone to foodie heaven. A memorable anniversary!

Our grateful thanks to Palate for a wonderful night!